Tarnos - La Digue Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, I'm lookin' at Tarnos - La Digue for the next couple of weeks. It's a beach and jetty setup, open to the west, so it catches most of what the Atlantic throws at it. The water temp is sittin' at a balmy 73°, which is a good 5° warmer than average for this time of year in the Basque Country. You won't be needing that wetsuit for a while, which is a nice bonus for early autumn.

Right off the bat, it’s a bit of a slow start. We've got some leftover swell from Thursday the 10th, with 4ft of NW groundswell (311 combined energy). That morning, with a light offshore from the ESE, the conditions are actually pretty clean. It's a solid option for a beginner session to kick things off, but for the more experienced, it's just a warm-up.

Things go flat and messy until Sunday the 13th. That morning, we get a pulse of bigger, stronger groundswell: 4ft from the NW but the period jumps up to 13 seconds (545 combined energy), which is a proper long-period groundswell. The wind is light onshore from the WNW, so it’s gonna be a bit bumpy, but the sheer power in the water for Tarnos is worth a look for a Sunday session. It's not perfect, but it's the strongest swell we’ve seen so far.

Monday the 14th is where it really comes together for the first week. The morning is glassy with an E wind and that same solid NW groundswell, still 4ft with an 11-second period (461 combined energy). That is your standout for the first week. The energy is solid, the period is decent, and the glassy morning wind will have it clean as a whistle. Paddling out will be a treat with those longer gaps between sets.

After that, it gets a bit messy with onshores through the middle of the week, but there’s another window on Friday the 18th. That morning sees a clean 4ft NW swell with a good 10-second period (221 combined energy) and a light offshore from the east. It won't be the biggest, but it'll be fun and clean for the dawn patrol.

Now, lookin’ out at the long range… Hold onto your hats. Friday the 25th of September is the big one. The morning is showing a massive 10ft NW groundswell with a 15-second period. The combined energy is a staggering 3661, which is huge, powerful, and very, very strong. The wind is glassy with a light SE breeze. For most of us, 10ft on a beach break is going to be way too much, borderline dangerous. This is strictly for experts only, and even then, the tide and the rip will be doing some crazy things. The afternoon is the same story, just with a bit more cross-shore wind. It's a proper big-water day, but it's 16 days out, so keep an eye on it.

This drought of quality isn't the norm for here; the Atlantic usually has something up its sleeve. It’s just a bit of a sleepy start.

- Rusty

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